Finding foods to fit your vegan lifestyle can be difficult when dining out. The key in this situation is to be forewarned and prepared! Take advantage of the internet (and your cell phone reception!) and make sure you know if a specific restaurant has options for you.

The Cheesecake Factory is a popular choice for families and large groups of friends because it has an enormous menu with tons of options for any dietary restriction, including veganism. Sadly, they don't have a vegan cheesecake option, but The Cheesecake Factory does have plenty of vegan options (with some modifications).

Salads and Dressings 

Salads are always a good first place to look if you're vegan. Luckily The Cheesecake Factory has about 15 different salads on their menu. They've also recently introduced a Vegan Cobb Salad with green beans, roasted beets, grilled asparagus, tomato, avocado, cucumber, quinoa, garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds and a house vinaigrette. The Vegan Cobb Salad is a delicious, filling mix that doesn't need any modifications to be vegan.

The Super Antioxidant Salad is another choice that doesn't require any special instructions. This tasty combination of spinach, kale, avocado, broccoli, grapes, roasted pear, blueberries, onions, sunflower seeds and almonds with a lemon-blueberry vinaigrette is utterly delicious and completely dairy-free.

Here are some other salads available at The Cheesecake Factory, and the modifications you'll have to request to make them vegan:

• Kale and Quinoa Salad - Hold the Parmesan cheese.
• Falafel Salad - Hold the feta cheese, and choose a different dressing.
• California Guacamole Salad - Hold the feta cheese and the avocado cream on top. Be sure to choose a different dressing.
• French Country Salad - Hold the goat cheese.
• Fresh Vegetable Salad - Hold the sharp cheddar.
• Tossed Green Salad - Hold the croutons.
• Endive Salad - Hold the blue cheese.

Dressings can be a particularly tricky part of being vegan. Dressings are often pre-made so staff might not be completely sure what is in them. If in doubt, it's usually safe to go with a vinaigrette of some type, and this is typically oil, vinegar and flavoring agents like mustard, garlic, herbs or lemon juice. Be sure to ask your server before ordering.

Here's a list of The Cheesecake Factory's salad dressings that are vegan:

• Shallot Vinaigrette
• Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• House Vinaigrette
• Lemon-Blueberry Vinaigrette
• Mildly Spicy Avocado Dressing (without the Avocado Cream addition)

Appetizers and Side Dishes

Avocado toast is an excellent choice to accompany a salad or as an appetizer. The Cheesecake Factory describes this as a grilled bread spread with fresh avocado, tomato, watercress, radish and red onion, topped with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. This avocado toast alone might make enough for a light meal. Edamame or soy beans steamed in their pods are a great vegan appetizer that the table is sure to enjoy with you.

Lucky for you The Cheesecake Factory's french fries are also vegan! Most of the other plain vegetable sides will be vegan too, provided you explicitly state that you'd like olive oil instead of butter. Some of the best choices for sides are:

• Sweet Potato Fries
• Green Beans
• Spinach
• Brocolli
• Asparagus
• Grilled Artichoke

Entrees

While The Cheesecake Factory vegan options don't include a ton of entrees, they do offer a couple of very tasty ones. Their veggie burger is vegan. Make sure you ask them to hold the cheese and the mayonnaise. Opting for wheat or sourdough bread instead of the standard bun will keep it dairy and egg-free. You can also go with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. They'll also be happy to add avocado to your veggie burger. The avocado, aside from being packed with healthy fats and vitamins, is a great textural addition giving your veggie burger a creamy topping. You won't miss that mayonnaise or cheese at all! If you like mayo on your burger as much as I do feel free to bring your own vegan mayo (I did)!

Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta is, obviously, a favorite at The Cheesecake Factory. Rigatoni tossed with broccoli, oven-dried tomato, mushroom, roasted eggplant, peppers, artichoke, kalamata Olives, onion, garlic and pine nuts is a fantastic vegan entree choice.

Be sure that you request the rigatoni pasta and olive oil instead of butter when ordering this dish. While the description on The Cheesecake Factory's website does not have parmesan listed, it is a part of the garnish, so be sure to ask them to hold the cheese, please.

Desserts: Bust.

The Cheesecake Factory is famous for, what else? Cheesecake! Unfortunately, none of their signature desserts are vegan. They do offer a bowl of strawberries with whipped cream, which you'll want to ask that they leave off.

Drinks

While there aren't many dessert options at The Cheesecake Factory, there are a few smoothies that would make a great dessert or addition to a meal. All the smoothies are dairy free, according to their website, mixed with just fruit, juices, and ice.

However, as always it's smart to make sure that there haven't been any changes to menu items. Many of the smoothies have coconut added to give them a creamy, rich texture. Here's a list of the vegan smoothie choices available:

• Strawberry Fruit Smoothie
• Tropical Smoothie
• Peach Smoothie
• Frozen Iced Mango

Beer, wine, and coffee are all good vegan choices but skip anything with added steamed milk or whipped cream. There are many vegan cocktail options as well, but as always skip anything with a milkshake base like the Flying Gorilla or the Strawberry Creamsicle, which both contain dairy. Margaritas, Mojitos and Pina Coladas are all vegan, fruit based drinks.

We hope this piece has helped you discover some excellent vegan Cheesecake Factory menu options! Remember, being prepared is a major part of being vegan and knowing you have healthy options that match your lifestyle choices can help you feel comfortable and confident in your social life. Make sure to check out our guide to eating vegan at Dave and Buster's, and let us know which options you tried in the comments!